The Protest Board of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Press Release No.2

On 16 January 1996, the first students' referendum in the history of Belgrade University was held. Referendum was chosen as the most democratic method of making decisions, after a number of student assemblies in which contradictory decisions had been made and which had not been attended by sufficient numbers of students.

The questions put to the participants in the referendum were: "Do you support the Student Protest?", "Do you opt for the complete boycott of lectures until the demands of the Student Protest are fulfilled, and for the full compensation of lectures after the Protest has ended, including the postponing of the examination period for as many days as the Protest has lasted?" and "Do you think that the Student Vice-Chancellor of the School of Physics has justified the trust of the students by his behaviour and his work?"

343 students voted in the referendum, and in the following way:

The members of the commission which counted the votes were: professor Milan Damjanovic, the Vice-Dean, Nada Acimovic, the secretary of the School, Darko Radovancevic, the Student Vice-dean, and Biljana Talijan, a student.

We are of the opinion that the students of physics undisputably expressed their support for the Student Protest, its demands and the plan (explained by the delegation of the Student Protest in the session of the Scientific-educational Council) for the compensation of lectures. We also think that the Student Vice-Dean has not justified the trust of his colleagues.

A similar referendum is held at the School for Training Special Education Teachers, between 11:00 and 13:00 every day until the majority of the students have voted. We appeal to the students of that School to participate in the referendum on the Student Protest.

For the Protest Board of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Belgrade, 24th January 1997

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